Man Throws Firecracker As Crowd Disperses

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A city official says a man threw a firecracker to the ground while a crowd was watching the Fourth of July fireworks display in downtown Philadelphia.

It happened just after 11 p.m. as hundreds of thousands of people were watching toward the end of the fireworks show along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Thursday. Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison says someone lit the firecracker and threw it to the ground, causing several people in the crowd to run.

Gillison says a couple of people fell to the ground. There have been no immediate reports of serious injuries, but people took to Twitter after the incident saying they thought there had been a shooting.